6/2/14

Happy Birthday To My Beloved Sister Freah!!!



Movie Snap, Libertad Baybay. Pen and ink on 14"x17" Paris paper.



Happy Birthday, Inday Freah. Tsup!

This was my childhood paradise:

This is an illustration of my childhood universe - halcyon days to a child. This is Movie Snap at Libertad Baybay in Bacolod City. The place was named after my father's photography studio. I was born in this house, four years after my older sister Freah was born on the same day. The first ten years of my life gave me the happiest childhood ever imaginable, growing up with my five sisters and two brothers. When I was ten years old, we moved to the suburbs. The old neighborhood was demolished including our houses. We just rented the land and the owner sold it to an automotive shop owner. Most recently is has become another neighborhood, very crowded and unlike the one we had, the children do not have a field and a  paved driveway where they could play. I practically stayed outside from morning until dusk, even played in the rain with my friends. Sometimes, with our parents and older brothers and sisters, we would play after supper until we were ready to turn in for the night. Although it was a private driveway, there was a convenient street light in the middle of our playground. We played so many games. To a child it was a playground paradise where we invented games requiring physical skill, dexterity, logic, and strategy. We faced our bullies and handled them without adult mediation. Today, my childhood friends and I are still friends, connecting through social media. From such a humble place, it is comforting to know we all turned out fine. Those games must have taught us a lesson or two. :)



Clockwise from far left: playing with strung live beetles, Hampang sa balas (Playing in sand), confronting the bully, Tuhog-tuhog (hooking rubber bands burried in sand, Sakaanay sa kahoy (tree climbing while my sister do chores), Palupad Burador (Flying kites), playing with stilts, Sorbete (buying street ice cream),  Bug-oy (playing with cowrie shells), pedal skate racing, burobaruto (playing with paper boats), Holen (hole-in) a marble game, 

Clockwise from far left: Pulopahuway (lazing in the heat), even the dog is hot, pitik-anay lastico (another rubber band game), damang (playing with spiders), hiding in the garden from my family, jump rope, rope jumping with friends (there are Ilonggo terms for these which I have forgotten), tiange-tiange(store) and checkers, taksi (playing with bottle caps - this was considered a gambling game by adults :), kick (I talked about it here), taguanay (hide and seek - these had many variations including "under the sea kingdom), sometimes I just wanted to play alone with my homemade pedal skate.


Clockwise from far left:  (bicycle - which is really a tricycle), climbing trees and lazing around, tubiganay - don't think there is an English equivalent for this game, piko (hopscotch), man-og man-og (literally translates to snake-snake but this is snap-the-whip), in the middle is pikyaw - there is no English equivalent for this game, three girls play "bagul" a game requiring difficult maneuvers using rubber slippers, stepping on "huya-huya" (shy-shy) a plant (Mimosa pudica) that closes when touched, shot-bong (hitting the can with a flat rock, the quiet games (playing store, checkers, playing with dolls, jackstones and cars), playing with Hammer - the dog, chalk art.









3 comments:

steveroni said...

Ces. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your wonderful Sister--feeling like I KNOW her, after all I've read these few years.

YOU, Ces...taught me the deeper value of family relationships. NOW (This week!) I am experiencing the fruits of my late learning. SO many family Peeps...and wonderful meetings and spiritual moments.
BLESSINGS!

Bella Sinclair said...

This drawing makes me feel all tingly. Honestly! All those kids playing!!! Happy innocence. It doesn't get much better than this. This may be my newest favorite of yours! Tsup!

martinealison said...

Bonsoir ma chère Ces,

A l'instant je viens de laisser un message à Bella... Je suis actuellement en "mode pause" car comme chaque année je retrouve un groupe d'amis avec lesquels nous visitons une région. Cette année nous sommes sur l'Île d'Ouessant.
Mais je voulais absolument te témoigner mon amitié en te souhaitant un très joyeux anniversaire.
Plein de gros bisous à toi ❁ ♡ ❁
Ton oeuvre est vraiment merveilleuse et elle est tellement TOI.
Je me régale en me noyant dans ce magnifique dessin.

Bisous bisous